The Letter
by Jukezorz
Summary: Ash has left for Isshu and has a conversation with Brock, and he starts to recognize his feelings for a certain blue-haired coordinator. What will he do about it?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Ash was in a local Pokemon Center in Isshu, in his room for the night. He'd checked onto the computer in his room, going on his IM account. Yeah, he had one, mostly to chat with his old friends and catch up. Then he saw his old buddy he'd recently parted ways with sign on.

Gottaketchumall: Hey, Brock!

Brckladiesman: 'Sup Ash! How's Black and white treating you?

Gottaketchumall: Well, some crazy thing came out of a thunderstorm and zapped Pikachu! No clue why. I think it was one of the legendary Pokemon again.. Now he can't use electric attacks. ._. I gotta figure this out... Aside from that, just missing you guys, a lot.

Brckladiesman: -_- Man, that sucks. It always happens to YOUR Pikachu, doesn't it? Why not anyone else's Pikachu? Hope it gets better soon. Yeah, I'm missing you too :( I don't have anyone to cook for anymore!

Gottaketchumall: Yeah, what the heck's that about? and thanks man. :( It's no fun without you around. Plus, to tell the truth.. I'm kinda.. Missing Dawn a lot, too...

Brckladiesman: Yeah, I feel you... I'm missing Nurse Joy/Officer Jenny too (ALL OF THEM) :(

Gottaketchumall: Yeah.. :/ I bet. To tell you the truth.. The way you act with them.. I think I'm starting to get that same feeling about her. ./.

Brckladiesman: You should write her a letter and tell her how you feel once you get the whole Pikachu thing sorted out. Maybe we can all have a reunion party just like old times...

Gottaketchumall: Yeah, that's a good idea... I sure hope she returns it though. And yeah, that'd be awesome!

Brckladiesman: Use a local flying pokemon and do it! I can see a great relationship forming :). Maybe we should invite May, Max, and Misty too!

Gottaketchumall: Ya think so? :) That'd be great.. and Yeah! Everyone finally getting to meet up. Hey.. Just in case though.. You know girls. Maybe I should run the letter by you first to make sure I don't mess up?

Brckladiesman: Yes, as a very experienced lover, I'd say that you should. Just in case; you don't want to mess up and lose her forever!

Gottaketchumall: Hah, I will. and yeah, she's the LAST girl I'd wanna mess up with. Best one yet, no questions asked.

Brckladiesman: Yes. If I didn't love Nurse Joy, then perhaps I would go for her. Actually no, I wouldn't; she's yours and yours alone. :)

Gottaketchumall: Hah. I get what ya mean. That's cool though, that you think that. :) That's how I'd want it.

While he was chatting with Brock, Ash started jotting down what he thought he should put in the letter, his face beet-read, palms sweating as he thought deeply to himself about what he should say to the girl.. Dawn was really an amazing person. He'd never forget how she surprised him by getting in a cheerleader costume and rooting him on through his gym battles. Or their hi fives.. Especially that last one, where she called him back as he was about to board the boat back to Kanto.. She called him back just for that. That's one moment that always made his heart jump, thinking about it. He couldn't really deny it anymore. He had strong feelings for her. They'd been building up towards the end of their travels, but he'd just pushed the thoughts to the back of his head, thinking it was silly. but they were simply too strong to ignore any longer. He liked Dawn. This is how the letter came out;

"Hey Dawn,

It's Ash writing from the Isshu Region! I kinda just wanted to check up and see how you were doing. It's pretty cool here. Pikachu's gotten into some trouble.. but aside from that, to be honest I kinda miss you guys a lot. Actually.. There was something I wanted to get at, part of the reason I'm writing this letter.. I'm not good with this Dawn, so bear with me... To be honest.. I'm missing /you/ a lot.. More than I even thought I would.. There's something that's just missing. It's not the same without your smile to brighten things up, or having someone to tell you "no need to worry!".. I guess what I'm trying to get at is.. I dunno exactly how to say it. I put a lot of thought into this, and Dawn... I think I kind of, um.. Like you.. I mean of course I like you, we're best pals, but you know what I mean.. How Brock feels about Nurse Joy, kinda. Recently, I think I've been um.. Thinking of you as maybe a little more than just a friend. It's just clicked in me.. It's really dawning on me (no pun intended) how.. pretty you are. I mean you've always been good looking, but.. Man, this is tough to write. I guess all I can do is hope that.. Maybe, you feel the same way too. But either way, I just really wanted to let you know how I feel. I hope to get a reply from you soon.. Sorry if this is a bit of a shocker. But hey, no need to worry right?

Your best friend, Ash

P.S. Tell Buneary that Pikachu said he misses her. :)

P.S.S. Hi five! z^_^z"

'Oh man...' He thought. 'How's she gonna take it?' He shrugged and typed the message to Brock, then clicked send.

Brckladiesman: Hey Ash, I'M PROUD OF YOU MAN! while it isn't exactly how I would write it, I wouldn't change much because it is exactly how you would say it. you have managed to let your voice come out of this writing. Great job. I have made a few changes though...

Hey Dawn,

It's Ash writing from the Isshu Region! I kinda just wanted to check up and see how you are doing. It's pretty cool here. Pikachu's gotten into some trouble.. but aside from that I kinda miss you guys a lot. Actually.. there is something I wanted to get at... I'm not good with this Dawn, so bear with me... To be honest. I'm missing YOU a lot. Much more than I could have ever imagined. There's something that's just missing. It's not the same without your smile to brighten things up, or having someone to tell you "no need to worry!".. I guess what I'm trying to get at is.. I dunno exactly how to say it. I put a lot of thought into this, and Dawn... I like you. I mean of course I like you, we're best pals, but you know what I mean.. How Brock feels about Nurse Joy, kinda. Recently, I think I've been um.. Thinking of you as maybe a little more than just a friend. It's just clicked in me.. It's really dawning on me (no pun intended) how.. pretty you are. I mean you've always been good looking, but.. Man, this is tough to write. I guess all I can do is hope that.. Maybe, you feel the same way too. But either way, I just really wanted to let you know how I feel. My days are dreary and dark without you around. I need you to brighten up my day. Sorry if this is a bit of a shocker. But hey, no need to worry, right?

Your best friend, Ash

P.S. Tell Buneary that Pikachu said he misses her. :)

P.S.S. Hi five! z^_^z

Ash smiled. Looks like Brock approves.. So he shouldn't have _too_ much trouble. The trainer chuckled to himself a little at this thought as his electric mouse companion walked up to Ash, curious what was going on with his master. He jumped up onto Ash's lap, who smiled at him. "Pika?" "Oh, hey Pikachu." The Pokemon nodded and looked over their conversation, eyeing the letter. His face turned a light red as he read the P.S. message, then he turned to Ash. "Pika pi?" The raven haired boy nodded in response. "Yeah.. I couldn't push it out of my head anymore, bud. It's just how it is. I miss Dawn a lot.. But I'm afraid what she's gonna think once I send this. I doubt she likes me back." Pikachu looked up at him and waves his arms, as if he was egging Ash on. "Piiikachu, Pika Pika!" This gave Ash a light-hearted smile. "You.. really think so?" Pikachu nodded, and so did Ash afterwards. "Thanks Pikachu. I can always count on you!"

Brckladiesman: There ya go. Good luck, man. I mean it from the bottom of my heart.

Gottaketchumall: Thanks. I know you do. Now all I gotta do is send it and pray.

Brckladiesman: Good luck man. That's all I have to say.

Gottaketchumall: Mhm. brb.

Brckladiesman: k

Ash then turned his attention to a blank piece of paper, folding it in half. He then opened it to write his long message down, being very careful not to make any mistakes. It had to be perfect.

"..There." Ash had finished, down to the hearts and P.S. messages. He even drew his own little doodle of Piplup and Pikachu on the front of the card, then sealing it in a blue envelope, writing _Dawn_ on the front. He then sent the letter off from the Pokemon Center desk, Nurse Joy sending the letter off with a small flying type Pokemon, after giving the address of Dawn's house in Sinnoh. He then walked back to his room, getting back to Brock

Gottaketchumall: Alright... It's sent. I feel like my heart could burst out of me any moment now. Heh.. At least I got Pikachu here. And I got you guys to talk to.

Brckladiesman: Don't worry man, I'm here for ya.

Gottaketchumall: Thanks dude. Appreciate it. I wonder what she'll think..

That night, Ash got into bed, holding Pikachu close to him. "I just hope things go well, buddy.." He whispered, looking at his first Pokemon, who meekly responded "Pikachu". He thought he knew what Pikachu was trying to say. 'No need to worry'. Ash soon fell asleep, with the thought of that blue-haired coordinator fresh in his mind.


	2. Chapter 2: Her reply

Chapter 2

_One week later_

Dawn was in her room, holding Piplup in her arms and petting the content pokemon. It was then that she heard something tapping on her window. when she turned to see what it was, it was the beak of a small Pokemon-looking creature she'd never seen or even heard of before. She got up, much to a miffed Piplup's dismay, to shoo the thing off. That was, until she saw it was holding something in its talons. An envelope? Dawn then opened the window and the bird dropped the envelope into her hand. "It's.. for me?" Piplup waddled over to her side, watching her. She then opened it carefully, eyeing the letter. "It's from Ash..."

_Another week later_

While on the road, looking for firewood for another night in the woods with his new travelling partners, he spotted a relatively large Pokemon overhead. "A.. Togekiss? but this is Isshu, they don't have Sinnoh Pokemon." He soon realized as the Pokemon descended, that this was Dawn's Togekiss. Seeing the way it looked at him and greeted him as it landed tipped that off. "Hey Togekiss, it's good to see ya!" The Pokemon responded with its name and pulled out a letter, a pink envelope. On the front, _Ash_ was written. "Oh man.." His heartrate went straight up, as he opened the letter.

"Dear Ash,

It's great to hear from you and I'm glad we're still in your thoughts, not that I doubted you. I miss you guys terribly as well. Buneary sends love and a kiss for Pikachu, hehe. Piplup misses you guys too, he made that very clear. :) ...As for the rest of your letter, Ash.. I'd like to ask a request of you, but I'm not sure how convenient it is. Please meet me in Hearthrome City two weeks from the day this was sent. I have a place to stay set up and everything, so no need to worry about that. I'll look forward to seeing ya. Hi five, right back at ya!

3 YOUR best friend, Dawn. :)"

On the front was a picture of their old group, that she probably drew. Him, her, and Brock. He had his arms around her and Brock's shoulders. This got a smile out of Ash as he nodded and thanked Togekiss, giving it a hug. "Thanks a lot, Togekiss.. I'll look forward to seeing you guys soon, alright?" Pikachu jumped in with a "Pikachu!", hugging Togekiss as well. "Kiss," it responded in its lulling voice, hugging both of them back as it did Pikachu and Piplup that fateful day not too long ago. After a short parting, the angelic Pokemon took back to the skies, making its way back to Sinnoh.


	3. Chapter 3: The reunion

Chapter 3

Ash spent the next few days getting ready, packing his suitcase, even going out to get some shopping done. He didn't want to go see her without any gifts. Two days later, he departed for home, stopping by his home in Pallet Town to pick up some things and talk to his mom. When he told her the situation, her first reaction was "Oh Ashy, I'm so proud of you! Treat that girl like a princess, and don't forget to change your you-know-what's~" Ash sweatdropped out of embarrasment. "Momm.." "Oh, I'm sorry Ash, it's just my little boy's growing up!" She wiped a tear from her eye and hugged Ash tight.

Then Ash spent the next day re-packing, donning his traditional outfit from back in the Kanto days, complete with his Pokemon League Expo hat. He looked in the mirror, looking himself over. "Alright, Ash Ketchum, this is one battle you gotta win!" He turned his hat around, signaling that this was serious. Dawn was one that he just had to catch. "Right, Pikachu?" Pikachu pumped his fist into the air. "Pikachu Pika pika!" This made Ash smile and nod in agreement. He spent the rest of the day packing up and spending some time with his mom before he headed off as the sun started to set, for the boat to Sinnoh. "Alright mom, thanks! I'm gonna go now!" "Good luck sweetie!" He smiled and waved bye as he left. "Hopefully I won't need luck.."

_A few days later_

"Here it is.." Ash swallowed, nervous as all hell. "Hearthrome City. Well, here goes... Maybe i should check out the town square?" Pikachu's head was poking out of Ash's backpack. Normally he'd be on his shoulder, but this was Ash and Dawn's occasion so he decided to stay their, for Ash's convenience, for the moment. Ash was still in his Kanto outfit, complete with hat and gloves. He then saw Dawn near a fountain in the town square. She looked... Gorgeous! The girl was wearing a black tubetop, a pretty light blue skirt, and boots that showed off her figure perfectly. To top it off, her hair was clipped back in a ponytail. He always thought that looked nice on her. He was knocked out of his musings when she turned to him, finally taking notice of his presence. "ASH!"

She called out, waving and smiling from cheek to cheek. He didn't think he'd ever seen her this happy before. "Dawn, hey!" His nerves got pushed t he back of his head, too happy to see her again to worry about what had been said beforehand. He staarrted walking over to her, as Dawn ran full speed ahead and pulled him into a tight hug, resting her head on his shoulder. "Oh, it's so good to see you again." This resulted in Ash's cheeks turning a bright shade of red. _'Well, she certainly doesn't seem upset._' "Yeah, same here!" He accepted the hug, wrapping his arms around her. A few seconds afterwards they pulled back, blushing deeply, remembering that they were in public. "Oh Dawn, you forgot something." She blinked, wondering what could be amiss. "What is it Ash?" His reply was a smile and raising his hand up high, like she had done the day they separated. Her eyes lit up as she raised her hand and gave him a big hi five. "Yeah!" Ash winked at her, giving a thumbs up. "That's what I'm talkin' about!" This made her blush a faint shade of red.

"Oh, that's right. You wanna go up to our room? The Pokemon can meet up." Ash smiled and nodded, then it hit him. '_OUR room?'_ he shook the thought away, he'd figure it out later. First, Pikachu jumped out of his backpack, greeting Dawn. "Oh, hey Pikachu!" She smiled and cuddled the mouse as he jumped into her arms, snuggling against her cheerily. "So cute, like always!"

Dawn checked them in at a fancy inn in the city and they walked upstairs to what they found to be their room. "Well, here we are," chimed Dawn. Ash was looking down at the floor, hat over his eyes. "Dawn.. We're.. sharing a room?" Her face turned red as this dawned over her, her voice sounding more meek. "Y-yeah... I guess we are.."  
Ash just nodded, blushing just as much as he turned the knob and opened the door. It was a fairly large room with pink walls, a relatively large bed that could fit two, a dresser, a couch off to the side, some other furniture, and a closet and two bathrooms. Pikachu jumped down, turning to Dawn with a "Pika Pikachu?" "Oh, that's right! Piplup, come on out!" She threw down a Pokeball, the small Penguin emerging. When he saw Pikachu, he lit up and ran over to him immediately as they gave each other a big hug, a la their trainers. You could hear a bunch of chatter going on between them in their own language. Ash and Dawn smiled at the sight, and then Dawn smiled slyly, holding another Pokeball.

"Hey, Pikachu, there's someone who missed you." Piplup got the hint and stepped back a bit for whatever scene was about to take place. Dawn let the Pokeball go, with the small rabbit Pokemon emerging with a "Buneary!" She looked around and when she saw Pikachu, her eyes lit up, her cheeks turning dark red as she hopped over to Pikachu and tackle-hugged him to the ground. "Buneary! 3 " The others smiled, clearly amused at the scene. Pikachu's face turned a bright red, looking up at his fellow Pokemon. "Pika pi." He conceded, wrapping his arms around her, accepting the hug. Her eyes turned into hearts as she exclaimed "BUN?" She then slipped into dreamland for the moment. Pikachu picked her up and laid her down against the bed. They then got reaquainted with the other Pokemon, and by then dinner time was approaching.


	4. Chapter 4: The battle is won!

Chapter 4

Ash and Dawn talked a little longer, then went into their respective showers to clean up and change. When Ash emerged, he was wearing a black suite and tie, his hair somewhat more tamed than usual, since he'd remember Dawn said she liked his hair when it was fixed, he did it just for this occasion. Pikachu gave him a thumbs up and he sat with his buddy waiting for Dawn. When she came out, he couldn't believe his eyes. She was wearing that beautiful white dress from one of her contests, with sky-blue high heels, the Piplup necklace around her neck that May got her, and her hair unrestrained, flowing down her back and over her shoulders like a waterfall.

"Ash, I'm ready! Umm.. Ash?" He was in a daze, captivated by her beauty. She smiled, amused, and walked over and patted him on the back playfully. "C'mon slowpoke, let's go!" "Uh, what? Oh! My bad." She giggled, and they left to look for somewhere to eat. "Hm.. There's gotta be somewhere nice around here." Dawn turned her eyes from place to place, looking for the perfect place for them to eat. "Right there!" Ash called to her, pointing to a fancy resturaunt across the street. "There? But that place is packed, we'd need a reservation first Ash." He smiled coyly. "Who says I don't have one?" She gasped quietly and put her hand over her mouth. "Ash.. you did.. but how? You just got here." "Oh it's no big deal, really. I looked up good places to eat in this city before I left and booked us a spot there for tonight." The coordinator blushed, smiling gratefully. "Ash, that was thoughtful of you.." She was shocked. It wasn't like Ash to plan ahead like this, especially when it came to these things. "Well, what're we waiting for, let's go!" He said this in a playful tone, rather than an annoyed one. There was the Ash she knew and love...Yeah, loved.

Now that they were settled and Ash was more than happy to help himself to some pasta, to no surprise on Dawn's part, they started to slow down and began to talk, catching up on each others' adventures. "So Dawn, how're the contests? You win any more?" She gave a thumbs up. "Mhm. I won another ribbon! First place, all thanks to Piplup." Ash smiled. "Alright! You guys really are something else." "Thanks, Ash. But there's no way I would've gotten this far without you." He opened his mouth to reply, probably planning to say that wasn't true, but she continued. "I mean it. You've done so much for me. Taught me how to catch Pokemon, showed me how to battle better, helped me train.. but more than anything, Ash.." She put her hand over her heart. "You supported me. You always believed in me and pushed me to do my very best. I'll never forget that."

He was near speechless, really moved by her words. All he chose to say at the moment was, "Well, I'm just glad I could help."

After they were done, Ash suggested they just take a walk. She happily accepted and joined him in a stroll down the street, soon going through Amity park. It was dark now, the only thing producing light was the moon, acting as a beacon in the sky. The twosome walked silently for a while, their arms swaying gently back and forth. It was only a matter of time before her hand brushed against his. Just the touch sent a rush through her, lighting her cheeks a faint red. Dawn took this moment to slip her fingers into his, holding his hand. Ash turned to her, blushing also. She looked back at him, flashing a small innocent smile, which he returned. Soon, they spotted a bench and decided to sit down, their fingers still locked together.

"Dawn?" "Yeah?" Ash shifted nervously, a million thoughts rushing through his mind at once. '_I guess it's now or never, Ash... C'mon, go for it'_, he coached himself. "Ya know, what you said before, about me helping you out and supporting you.." She nodded. "To tell ya the truth... You did the exact same thing for me. I mean.. Right from the high fives, to the "no need to worry's," to.. even the cheerleading," this last comment caused them both to look down bashfully. When she really thought about it.. Doing that, she couldn't have been more obvious. "You just... You made a big difference for me. I really like it.. When you're around.. You just make it seem like everything's gonna be okay." She looked up to him, smiling, her deep-blue eyes glistening in the moonlight. "Things just aren't the same without you around.. When you're here, I feel.. in some way.. happier."

He wasn't sure where to go next, but he was interrupted by the girl wrapping her arm around him, resting her head into his shoulder. "Oh, Ash..." Ash's face turned a deeper red than ever before, unused to this kind of attention. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him, soon wrapping his other arm around her. So this is what it was like, to hold the girl in his arms... It was great. The feeling of her skin against his and the warmth they were sharing.. His head on top of hers.. Everything just felt..right, natural. He never wanted it to end. Dawn wouldn't be one to argue with that. She felt.. Safe. Like she never wanted to leave his arms.

He broke the peaceful silence to continue. "What I wrote in that letter, Dawn... It's all the truth. I.. I couldn't stand being without you. You're just.. amazing.." He felt her shift, looking up to see they were face to face, her eyes shimmering with emotion. She had a smile on of pure glee that she was failing to hide, a few tears of joy making their way down her cheeks. "Dawn, are you alright? You're.. crying." Dawn gave him a playful smile, retorting "Oh, so it's not just sand in my eyes this time?" He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Heheh... Sorry about that." "No need to worry. But it's not like that this time... I'm just...happy. So very happy, Ash.." She leaned closer to him, their faces barely inches apart. She whispered to him in her soothing voice that made his heart jump. "You've made me the happiest girl alive, Ash Ketchum..." "I..did?" She nodded.

_'Oh, screw it, I can't take this anymore!_' Dawn leaned in, wrapping an arm around his neck as her lips met his,sending a spark of pure ecstacy through both of them. Ash's eyes widened in pure shock, finally feeling the lips of the girl he held so close to his heart. He soon recovered and gave into the kiss, pulling her close to him as he tilted his head slightly, closing his eyes. They shared this embrace of passion for what seemed to be hours, nothing else in the world mattered. Then, they eventually pulled back for air, both panting as they looked into each others' eyes, a look unmistakable for anything else but love. "So...You really like me back?" She anime-fell, soon recovering and replying to his...not so well thought out question. "Yes, Ash.. Of course I do. How could I not?" Ash stayed silent, having no way to reply to this, so she continued. "You're brave, you're an awesome battler, you're sweet, you're optimistic... You're cute.. You make me feel special. You're just.. all around, everything I've ever wanted, Ash Ketchum."

He smiled, his heart ready to burst out of his chest any second now. "So are you, Dawn... So are you.." They shared another kiss under the moonlight, for once, having nothing else on their minds. Even Ash wasn't thinking about Pokemon.. And Team Rocket was yet to be seen. They were reunited.. And everything was right again. Future Pokemon Master and Top Coordinator, together.


End file.
